United Fresh Live! week may have come to a close, but the event is by no means over.

“There is so much more that continues to live on the platform, and we encourage exhibitors and attendees to continue to take advantage of it this summer,” said Mary Coppola, vice president of marketing and communications for United Fresh Produce Association, on the final day of the virtual event.

When the United Fresh Produce Association announced earlier this spring that it would convert its convention and trade show to a virtual format due to the coronavirus pandemic, many wondered just how that would work and whether or not it would provide a good return on investment.

While most polled by The Produce News said they missed the face-to-face element of the show, they were impressed with United Fresh’s ability to quickly pivot to the virtual platform and praised the association for putting on a show that was, by and large, considered a success.

The closing general session of United Fresh LIVE! featured a bevy of association executives discussing the worldwide produce industry’s herculean effort during the pandemic and predicting that that the future is very bright for the fresh fruit and vegetable industry, though they also saw plenty of challenges on the road ahead.

Though it was acknowledged that the USDA’s Farmers to Families Food Box Program had some initial challenges, the program is apparently delivering hundreds of thousands of produce boxes to needy recipients every week and is working much better than many expected.

That was the overarching view of many participants who tuned in to a live, informal discussion on the topic on Wednesday morning, June 17, during United Fresh 2020 LIVE. 

A handful of the nation’s top produce managers agreed that in-store sampling is one of the best ways to increase sales in the produce department, especially when dealing with a newer item.

Five produce managers, each of whom is being honored this week by the United Fresh Produce Association, continually touted the value of sampling when discussing several different merchandising techniques during a “Retail Insights” webinar on Tuesday, June 16 as part of the United Fresh 2020 LIVE virtual convention.

At noon EDT today, June 15, United Fresh Produce Association President and CEO Tom Stenzel welcomed an on-line audience to the industry’s first major virtual convention by applauding the front line field and plant workers that have kept the food supply chain relatively intact during these challenging times.